1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a section that can be fixed to an anchoring base by means of fastening screws. The section has at least one fastening segment, which, in the mounted position, extends substantially parallel with the anchoring base. The fastening segment has at least one screw hole for receiving a fastening screw, which can be screwed into the anchoring base, and which has a screw head with a slot or cross slot (Phillips head) for engaging a screwdriver. In the mounted position, the screw head extends over the edge of the screw hole.
The types of section to which the invention relates may be support sections for fastening panels or other covering elements. In addition, the invention may serve as special fastening elements for clipping on C-shaped support sections, which, with their fastening segments pointing upwardly are attached to an anchoring base by means of fastening screws screwed into the anchoring base.
2. The Prior Art
The anchoring base is, as a rule a wood beam-type ceiling, where the sections are screwed to the beams. Especially in connection with older wood beam ceilings, the anchoring base frequently has uneven spots. Such uneven areas were leveled out heretofore by intermediate layers clamped between the wood beams and the fastening segments of the sections. This procedure, however, takes up time during the installation work, and is therefore costly.
Therefore, the problem on which the invention is based consists in improving sections of the type specified above for the aforementioned purpose so that such sections can be mounted in a simple and quick way in their correct positions even if the anchoring base has uneven spots.
This problem is solved with the section according to the invention in which a safety tab projects from the fastening segment at least in the area of the screw hole. When the section is in its mounted position, after the fastening screw has been screwed into an anchoring base, the safety tab can be deformed into a safety (or securing) position, in which it grips over the edge of the head of the fastening screw, leaving free the surface area of the screw head that is to be engaged by the screwdriver.
Therefore, with the section as defined by the invention, a safety tab is shaped by molding on the fastening segment at least in the area of a screw hole serving the purpose of receiving a fastening screw. This safety tab permits the fastening screw to be screwed in without any obstruction, and then bent or deformed in some other way after the fastening screw has been driven in. When in its securing position, the safety tab grips over the screw head along its edge without covering the area of the screw head that is engaged by the screwdriver.
A section so designed can be mounted on the anchoring base by first driving in the fastening screw or screws until the fastening segment abuts the anchoring base. The raised (or upright) safety tab is then bent into the safety position in which it grips over or covers the screw head along its edge, for example by means of a blow with a hammer. Subsequently, the section can be adjusted by turning back (or slightly loosening again) the fastening screw driven into the anchoring base, i.e. the section can be spaced from the anchoring base for compensating any uneven areas or spots.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the safety tab may be provided with a release element, so that when in the safety or securing position, the edges of such release element grip over the edge of the screw head, leaving free the surface area on the screw head that is engaged by the screwdriver.
Depending on the dimension of the safety tab and the release element, it is possible in accordance with a further aspect for the edges of the release element to grip over the head of a fastening screw not only on a portion of the screwhead edge forming a segment of a circle, but also over a peripheral angle of up to 180xc2x0.
According to another aspect of the invention, the section may have a safety tab running along the side of the fastening segment facing away from a center part of the section. The safety tab is raised from the segment into an upright position and can be bent into the safety or securing position. This further aspect is important especially in connection with long-stretching sections.
Such a section may be characterized by being embodied in the form of a long-stretching hat section. This hat section has fastening flanges as fastening segments running or extending along both sides of a center part of the section. The fastening flanges serve as fastening segments with safety flanges raised in upright positions from the segments on its edge sides.
Within the framework of the present invention, however, the section may be characterized also by being designed as a fastening element for mounting U-shaped ceiling support sections, for example by clipping onto such sections. In this section, fastening tabs each penetrated by a screw hole project laterally as fastening segments from opposite sides of a section center part. On the sides facing away from the center part, one of the fastening tabs is raised on each side into a bendable securing position, in which the safety tab grips over the edge of the screw head.
In an alternative embodiment, the section in accordance with the invention comprises a safety pin having the elasticity of a spring which projects at least on one side from the fastening segment and at least within the area of the screw hole. When the fastening screw is driven in, the safety pin is pushed away sideways by the head of the fastening screw, and, in the mounted position, the pin snaps into the safety or securing position, in which it grips over the edge of the screw head, leaving free the area that is engaged by the screwdriver.
This embodiment has a safety lock with a spring-elastic design. When the fastening screw is driven in, the screw head first hits the projecting safety pin, the safety pin yields sideways under the effect of the force acting on the pin as the fastening screw is being driven in and after the fastening screw has been completely driven in, the safety pin rebounds into a safety position, in which the screw head is engaged on the edge side.
This embodiment permits such sections to be mounted in a particularly simple and quick way because the safety lock is automatically received in its safety position after the fastening screws have been driven in. According to a useful further aspect of this embodiment, the safety lock may comprise a spring leg which projects on the side of the fastening segment facing away from a center part of the section. This arrangement forms an inclined surface ascending towards the fastening segment, whereby the slanted surface is spring-elastically connected with the fastening segment via an approximately C-shaped spring segment.
With this embodiment of the invention, when a fastening screw is driven in, the head of the screw slides up on the slanted surface ascending in the form of a wedge toward the fastening segment, which causes the safety detent pin or lock to be pushed away sideways and to rebound into its securing position, in which it grips over the edge of the screw head, as soon as the screw head has overcome the slanted surface when the fastening screw is driven in.
However, if the section is designed in the form of a long-stretching hat section, with retaining flanges extending lengthwise on both sides as fastening segments, an elastic spring leg extending lengthwise on the outer side may extend also from each of the retaining flanges, or fastening segments. This spring leg is shaped by molding on the respective retaining flange via an about C-shaped spring segment, and the two spring legs may extend from the retaining segments, diverging from each other.
Another alternative has the section designed in the form of a long-extending hat section. Support flanges extend lengthwise in substantially parallel planes on both sides of a fastening segment. Such support flanges are intended for attaching or mounting panels or other flat covering elements. In this embodiment, corrugations are molded as safety locks (or arrests) into section bridges extending between the support flanges and the fastening segment, such corrugations extending lengthwise and, in the mounted condition, gripping over the edge of the head of a screwed-in fastening screw. The corrugations or beads, furthermore, are arranged symmetrically relative to the screw holes, with a spacing from each other amounting to less than the diameter of the head of the fastening screw.
In this embodiment, when a fastening screw is driven in, the screw head slides with its edges onto the corrugations or beads projecting into the section, and spreads the section legs apart as the screw is driven in further, whereupon the section legs rebound into their original position after the screw head has overcome the corrugations or beads.
Another aspect of the invention facilitates the spreading of the section legs provided with the corrugations or beads extending lengthwise. In this aspect, the lengthwise extending corrugations or beads may be limited on the side facing away from the fastening segment by bevels or slants extending in a diverging way, and on the side facing the fastening segment by undercuts of the steps forming section legs.